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Eu vou tentar ficar menos ansioso antes da reunião online.

Eu vou tentar ficar menos ansioso antes da reunião online.
I will try to be less anxious before the online meeting.
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Questions & Answers about Eu vou tentar ficar menos ansioso antes da reunião online.

Why does Portuguese use vou tentar (literally “I go to try”) instead of a simple “I will try”?

In Brazilian Portuguese, a very common way to form the near future is ir (present) + infinitive: vou + tentar = I’m going to try / I’ll try. It often feels more natural in everyday speech than the simple future (tentarei), which can sound more formal or emphatic.

Can I drop Eu and just say Vou tentar ficar menos ansioso…?

Yes. Portuguese often omits the subject pronoun because the verb already shows who the subject is. Vou clearly indicates I, so Vou tentar… is extremely common and natural.

Why are there two verbs in a row: tentar ficar?

Because tentar is followed by an infinitive to say “try to do something.” Here the “something” is ficar menos ansioso (“to become less anxious”). So the structure is:

  • tentar + infinitive → tentar ficar, tentar fazer, tentar falar, etc.
Does ficar here mean “to stay” or “to become”?

Here it means to become / to get (a change of state): ficar menos ansioso = “get less anxious.”
Ficar can also mean “to stay/remain,” depending on context, but with an adjective describing a change it often means “become.”

Could I also say tentar estar menos ansioso?

You can, but it changes the nuance:

  • ficar menos ansioso → emphasizes changing your state (you’re anxious now and want to calm down).
  • estar menos ansioso → emphasizes simply being less anxious (more neutral, less “change” focus).
    In your sentence, ficar sounds very natural.
Why is it menos ansioso and not menos ansiedade?

Because ansioso is an adjective describing the speaker (“anxious”), while ansiedade is a noun (“anxiety”).
Both are possible, but they produce different structures:

  • ficar menos ansioso = “become less anxious”
  • ter menos ansiedade = “have less anxiety”
What if the speaker is a woman—does ansioso change?

Yes. Adjectives agree with the person described:

  • male speaker: menos ansioso
  • female speaker: menos ansiosa
  • plural: menos ansiosos / menos ansiosas
What’s going on with antes da?

It’s a contraction:

  • antes de = “before”
  • de + a = da (because reunião is feminine: a reunião)
    So: antes da reunião = before the meeting.
    (If it were masculine: antes do = de + o.)
Could I say antes de a reunião online instead?

Grammatically, yes: antes de a reunião is possible, but antes da reunião is far more common in Brazilian Portuguese. The contraction (de + a → da) is usually preferred.

Is reunião feminine? How do I know it’s a reunião?

Yes, reunião is feminine: a reunião, da reunião, na reunião.
There’s no foolproof rule from the ending alone, so it’s best learned with the article (e.g., memorize a reunião).

Does online need to agree in gender/number with reunião?

No. online is typically invariable in Portuguese (especially as a borrowed adjective). You can say:

  • reunião online
  • aulas online No gender/number change is required.
Can the word order change—like antes da reunião online, vou tentar…?

Yes. Putting the time phrase first is common for emphasis or flow:

  • Antes da reunião online, vou tentar ficar menos ansioso.
    Both versions are correct; it’s a style/priority choice.
How is reunião pronounced (and what’s that ão)?

In Brazilian Portuguese, reunião is roughly “heh-oo-nee-OW̃” (with a nasal ending).
The -ão ending is nasal; the air flows through the nose. It doesn’t sound like English “ow” exactly—it’s a nasalized diphthong.